I allotted 10% of my $1,200 to have stuff to play around with. I bought the new Elecom true wireless coming in stock any day now
, I bought a Warehouse deal Vsonic VS3 for $16 and I decided to be a guinea pig on these...
https://www.amazon.com/Monitors-Hea...coding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=V3FKFMQMDWAFT1A8EH6J
So, budget Chi-Fi untested model. Would I get burned?? Got kinda duped slightly though I can see the confusion. There are two models as it shows on the box. Both E13S and E13Pro. They advertised the E13Pro with the dual armatures but these are the E13S which is the same thing but a single 6mm dynamic with no pouch and slightly different specs. I already fired off a message to them that they should fix the listing to show the right thing. Not an issue really as they seem to be good and worth the price and figure the armature model would probably cost a bit more.
Still good though. Decent presentation, the same as the Senn bi-flanges in S/M/L, a solid MMCX cable, and Yamaha styled housing that are really small and provide a good fit. Normal MMCX fit and fit ~5-ish mm range tips like JVC and Azla and Senn etc. Here they are with my FiiO short cord and some JVC tips on them...
Decent build. metal housing with good finish and solid MMCX sockets on them. nothing to complain about. No L/R markings on the housings since they are totally symmetrical. The sound signature is pretty balanced with a rich bass and some treble but the mids are still forward. Still running them in but they have fine clarity but pretty good for $20 bucks. Better than some but not giant killer in that area. They have good extension better down low than up top but solid treble reach for a microdriver with a rich sound. You get some detail and nice cymbals with them. Stage is a bit wider than tall but good depth as well. The present like some micro driver models do, with a forward and immediate presentation. The mids are the star of the show with the ES13S model. These are rich and engaging mids/vocals. Immediate, crisp and clear but still rich and emotive and have some depth to them. Pretty wow for the $20.
Which is on the the second part of the "discovery" is indeed the cable...
As seen in the earlier pic I have swapped out cables. other cables are good for clarity and such for the E13s but 3 other cables have all shown more balance. The mids are from the cable and they go away with the others. Some mids magic with the cable and good ability for this "1.2M pure copper" cable. Some highly engaging mids can come from the cable and I am happy with this cable for the $20. Nice plug and reliefs, decent braid, small Y, light weight, and all black look. No slider and might not be the best against tangles it seems but some forward sweet vocals from this cable. Just my experience so far but you could buy the E13s for the cable and get tips and an earphone to boot. Good cable especially if you are looking for a straight down model.
Leading to the third discovery. That the cable is the final piece to get my Elecom RH2000(aka AMA25813) to it's potential along with Azla Sednafit tips. Got those for less than $25 back here...
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/the-discovery-thread.586909/page-3100#post-15461929
The deeper core Azla work well on the short tube and the fit. Struggle a little with the fit but also have been looking for a cable for them. I could hear the 12mm titanium external magnet drivers potential if not realized yet.
From the Elecom site: "By adopting a high-rigidity diaphragm coated with titanium on PET film, rich low range and clear high range are realized. By adopting a PET film with a thickness of only 9 microns for the diaphragm, a lively and lively sound is reproduced. 30 ribs are provided on the surface of the diaphragm to prevent abnormal vibrations such as deformation of the vibrating membrane, split vibration, and rolling. This reproduces the sound with less distortion and excellent transparency. "
Certainly a bit toward neutral but pushed a bit more with the shallow fit so the Azla do a good job. The cable being a pure copper might be the choice as it does seem to have at least a little warmth to it but also those mids which do follow right over and are still the star of the show. A bit different with less and even clearer bass lower down so they don't stand out as much in that same way as on the E13s but still in front and the most immediate thing that hits you. Still nice bandwidth/reach for the cable to work on the Elecom driver. Sparkly transparent treble with nice reach but still good reach down low as a 12mm can give. Bass is more quick and sharp and detailed. For $50, the cost of the "cable" and the earphones, probably the best sound for that money I have heard and the Elecom driver potential realized. Fast, transparent, detailed, nearly effortless, roomy, black background sharp notes but still dynamic bass.
Hard to compare against my Azla MKII since they take the same pair of M Sednafit tips but I have compared against my Nxears Sonata, a $200 pair that is worth the price. Almost the same signature and level. the elecom bass is dynamic though and sounds more like that while the Sonata sounds like Knowles, good Knowles, armature bass. The Elecom may be a bit sharper of note than the Sonata. So close to each other with little differences. Both better than the Finschi even with a cooler cable. Would have to also take from memory the Elecom over the Tape for the better mids and perhaps even better coherency mids. The Elecom can now really battle in the $130 to $200 range.
